Alberta election: Advance polls see historic turnout

Albertans have made history this election by coming out in droves to vote inadvancepolls.

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The polling stationsopen for four dayslast weekbetween Wednesday andSaturdaysaw235,410 people vote, a record according to Drew Westwater with Elections Alberta.

"That's a 31 percent increase fromthe 2012 election," Westwater said.

"We've only had a 12percent increasein voters in Albertasince 2012 soproportionally a31 percent increaseis quite substantial."

There are 2,543,127 electors on the voter's list this year, which is277,958 more or 12 per centsince the last provincialelection.

The average number of voters each day in 2012 was59,940, as compared to the average of58,852 voters each day in 2015. But the numbers for advance polls were higher overallbecause voters were given an additional day to cast their ballot.

"It's an extra day so you'd expect maybe an 18 to 20 per centincrease,but 31 is a bit larger than that," said Westwater, adding that high voter turnout during advancepolls does not necessarily translate into higher voter turnout on election day.

The biggest voter turnout was in the riding of Edmonton-Whitemud with5,679 votes.Voters therewent to the polls last October in a byelection that sawnewly-appointed health minister and former mayor Stephen Mandel win his seat.

Polls across Albertaare open tomorrowbetween9 a.m. and 8 p.m. MT.

Overall voter turnouthad been steadily declining in Alberta over the past two decades, from over 60 per cent in 1993 down to 40.6 per cent in 2008.

But turnout surged to 54.4 per cent in 2012,an election that like this time around hadpollsters predicting a possible change in government.

Here is a look at the results from Alberta's last four provincial elections.